Owner of Dartmouth’s Tan FX an active community volunteer

Robyn McAuley has integrated her love of volunteer work into her new business. (Jenny Gillis)

A Dartmouth social worker turned business owner is staying connected to the community through volunteer work and her new business.

After eight years in social work, Robyn McAuley found herself falling in love with the idea of owning a business in beauty. She opened the Dartmouth tanning salon, Tan FX, in November. But since then she has kept her foot in both worlds, volunteering and fundraising for social issues in HRM.

“It’s the perfect balance,” says McAuley.

After McAuley moved from Newfoundland 12 years ago to pursue a degree in criminology, she began volunteering at the Elizabeth Fry Society and at the East Coast Forensic Hospital. The transition into social work felt natural, and she continued on that path until just last year.

After the completion of a work term, McAuley decided to take the summer off and head back to work in the fall. During that summer off, she pitched in at a friend’s salon.

“I started to help a friend out at her salon and I thought, ‘I really like this.’ It was really different working with people in this type of setting, people are really happy. We are providing a happy service. I call this my happy time with these folks,” says McAuley.

Although starting a new business is time consuming, McAuley still volunteers each week at Out of the Cold, a Halifax shelter, and sits on the board of directors for the Community Justice Society. She and her pet therapy dog, Molly, also visit hospitals with St. John Ambulance.

When asked what keeps her motivated to continue to commit her time to social issues, she says having devoted so much in her life to social work, she could never leave it in the past. She says she has learned a lot from working and volunteering in shelters.

“When I worked at the shelter, it was a huge reality check on how lucky I’ve been in my life, how fortunate I have been to have the experiences I’ve had, and to have gotten an education. Working in the shelter really grounds me.”

McAuley has integrated her volunteer work into her new business by fundraising for Out of the Cold and Feed Nova Scotia. Tan FX is currently accepting donations for Out of the Cold in exchange for a free tanning lotion. McAuley says not only is this helping the shelter, but it’s also helping raise awareness for issues surrounding homelessness in HRM.

“Some of us are more fortunate than others and there is no reason why we can’t help. A little bit goes a long way, especially when you are working with groups that are stigmatized,” says McAuley.

She says she has no plans to slow down and is thinking of opening another salon in Halifax in the future.